Apparatus for operating a vacuum currying apparatus



June 2, 1953 5. J. ERLING APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A VACUUM CURRYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l VIII/Ill June 2, 1953 i s. .1. ERLING 2,640,218

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A vAcUUM CURRY'ING APPARATUS Filed Dec; 8, 1945 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 ra/17w? ry/r/vzssi- S 11872 Alb/1% Erny I 6444414, I

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Patented June 2, 1953 ABPABATUS FOR OPERATING A VACUUM CURRYING APPARATUS Sven lichen Erling, Nockeby, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Separator, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application December 8, 1945, SerialNo. 633,653 in Sweden December 15, 19454 l'Claims. l

invention relates to an improvement in power driven carrying "devices, and more particularly to-a device for "curr-ying*cows on a dairy iarrn provided with milking machines.

Carrying machines for removing dirt particles Ltrom the ten of an animal are known, such apparatus comprising a suction nozzle, with or Without moving parts "for loosening dirt-particles, together with suction means for conducting the 'dirt toareceptacle, as isrlone in'household vacuum cleaners, driven "-by electric motors.

One of the "objects of :my invention is the provision of means whereby the apparatus is driven lb pneumatic power, whereby all electrical connections and wiring "to the apparatus are dispensed with.

Another-object of my invention is the provision -o'f meanswhere'by the powercanbe drawn from the vacuum system used for -'operat'ing milking machines, so that the operator can attach the hose for supplying the power 'to the 'currying machine to the pipe system for the milking machines.

lrnother object'o'f my invention 'is the provision of a curry'ing machine which will be light in weight as well as compact, so that the operator can carry the same on'his back, whereby the operator isenableil to move from station to station, :so that all that is necessary for him to do is to connect the hos'e leading to power devices of the curryin'g machine to the connector on the vacuum pipe line for a milking machine.

vi'iuother object of my invention is to utilize the high suction and :small volume of air drawn ithrough the pipe system by the vacuum pump associated therewith, to draw a large volume of iairtthrough the 'curryin'g nozzle and through the receptacle for receiving the dirt, while passing niirelatively small amount of air to the vacuum system for the milking machines.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, ilslustrating zone forrn of apparatus in accordance with invention:

Fig. 1 .is a longitudinal "section of a pneumatic power transformer, in which parts are shown in 1 '2 tively, which are connected to each other to form a substantially airtight operating chamber t,

except for the openings hereinafter mentioned.

Rotatably mounted in ball bearings in shells 5 and 5 mounted in recesses in the upper "and lowercasing members wand-b, respectively, is a shaft 3, which extendsthrough the upper member a of 'the'casing.

Mounted on the shaft :3, within the operating chamber '6 formed betweenthe members a and is a pneumatically operable actuating device,

here shown in the form-of aturbinewheel l-,'-a'-nd secured to the shaft "3 above the member a are two fans 2, '2, connected in series, "stationary air redirecting devices 48, which together form exhaust means for exhausting the air from the nozzle, as hereinafter described.

Supported on the 'membera is a'sh'el l-c, having a cover "(1, forming a filter chamber 2'! within which is supported a bag -I ll of the usual type for receiving the dust, -etc., from a suction nozzle, by way of a flexible delivery tube H, one end which is connected to a tubular extension s on "the cover at and to which the mouth of the bag it is also connected. The other end of 'the flexible delivery tube 5 I iscon-nec'ted to'the endof a metallic tube 1 2, extending fromthe housing 3 of the nozzle, and M designates a brush in the nozzle housing, 'a portion only of which isshown in full lines extending i romthe mouthof'the nozzle, the outer diameter of the brush withinft'he housing-being shown-in dotted lines.

The brush l G may bedr'iv'en by' means of a turbine 22 located in a casing "5 shown "in dotted lines, and may be driven direct or through reducing gears.

Connected to the outlet port Ba of operating chamber 6 is a tube 1 which is connected to a Y coupling 1, to which is also connected a tube B which is adapted for connection to the socket connection of the milking machine vacuum line or.

Above the chamber' fi in the base is an exhaust chamber l9, which is provided with a plurality of small jet openings or ports l 8 for 'deliveringair at substantially atmospheric pressure to "the blades of the turbine I, and 20 are ports leading from chamber H! to the atmosphere. Thus, "the chambers 6 and 19 both communicate with atmosphere through the ports 2"D,"the"p'or-ts '18 serving as inlets to chamber 6 for admitting air at substantially atmospheric pressure.

Located within the shell -c below "the dust bag H3 is a perforated partitionll.

metallic tube it is located within the nozzle I2. The end within the nozzle housing is in communication with the outlet from a brush driving turbine 22, while the other end of the tube I 6 is connected to one end of a flexible tube I 1 connected at the other end to the Y coupling 1.

When the tube 8 is connected to the high vacuum line 9, such as used in a milking machine system, a relatively small volume of air at a pressure considerably below atmospheric pressure will be drawn through the turbines to operate the brush within the nozzle, and to rotate the exhaust fans 2, 2 to suck air through the nozzle opening and convey the dirt therewith through tubes l2 and II into the bag I0, the air passing through the bag in the well known manner, then through the perforated partition to chamber I9 and through openings 20 to the atmosphere.

As the pressure in chamber I9 is considerably higher than the pressure in chamber 6, and the jets of air delivered to the turbine are fine, the turbine will be rotated with sufficient power to operate the exhaust fans to pass a sufficient volume of air at a sufficient speed to carry the dirt to the bag I 0, without delivering a large amount of air to the pump connected to the vacuum line. More particularly, an operating condition will result in which the fiow through the ports 20 is directed outwardly. It is true that in starting the apparatus the air current is directed inwardly through ports 20 because the fan 2 starts from rest and therefore has no pumping action initially. However, when the turbine wheel I and the fan 2 have been brought up to speed, the fan will force large quantities of air through the tube II, the filter I0, and out through the ports 20. This is necessarily so because the paths of fiow through the fan 2 are much larger in cross-section than the paths of flow through the nozzles I8, so that the resistance to flow through the fan is correspondingly smaller. Assuming that the conduit I is connected to the vacuum system of a milking machine, a vacuum of about A? atmosphere will normally be maintained in the conduit 1. The pressure differential between the ports 20 and the conduits I, and consequently the drop of pressure across the openings I8, will be about atmosphere. The turbine wheel I is rotated by the air jets from ports I8 with a force which depends upon the quantity of air multiplied by the pressure differential. This force represents Work which is transmitted to the fan 2, which is thus capable of forcing the air through the tube II with a force commensurate with that generated by the turbine Wheel. With the small pressure differentials utilized in operating a currying apparatus, the amount of air propelled by the fan 2 will necessarily be large (that is, as much as 10 times the quantity of air being sucked through the openings I8 when the fan 2 produces a pressure difierential of the order of atmosphere). Consequently, not only does the air flow outwardly through the ports 20, but the quantity of air passing through these ports is many times larger than that passing through the nozzles l8 into the operating chamber 6.

The advantages of applicants invention result from the provision of means for providing surficient suction and a suflicient volume of air for conducting the dirt from a nozzle of a currying machine, which means are operated by a vacuum system having a high vacuum and through which the volume of air which is passed would be insuificient to conduct the dirt,

.It will be evident-that numerous variations may be made in apparatus for operating an animal currying device from a vacuum system without departing from the principles of the invention as defined in the claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pneumatic currying apparatus, a portable casing for connection to a suction currying nozzle and divided into an operating chamber, an exhaust chamber, and a filter chamber having an air suction inlet, an air filter in the filter chamber interposed between the suction inlet and said exhaust chamber, the filter chamber communicating with the exhaust chamber and the exhaust chamber communicating with atmosphere, a fan in the exhaust chamber for drawing air from the suction inlet through the air filter and discharging the same from the exhaust chamber, a pneumatically operable actuating device mounted in said operating chamber, a positive driving connection between said actuating device and the fan for driving the same, the fan being adapted to draw a relatively large volume of air at a pressure somewhat below atmosphere while said actuating device is operable by a relatively small volume of air undergoing a relatively large change in pressure in passing therethrough, the operating chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, and a flexible hose for connecting one of said ports to a pneumatic pipe line to operate the actuating device by air fiow from said inlet port through the operating chamber to the outlet port.

2. A pneumatic currying apparatus as defined in claim 1, comprising also a-suction currying nozzle connected to said suction inlet, a pneumatically operable actuating device mounted in the suction nozzle, a brush in the suction nozzle rotatable by said last device, and a flexible hose leading from said first hose to the suction nozzle to operate said last device pneumatically by the air pressure difierential between the nozzle and said pneumatic pipe line.

3. A pneumatic currying apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the exhaust chamber communicates with atmosphere through an opening for discharging the air drawn by the fan, said actuating device being a turbine wheel, the exhaust chamber also communicating with the operating chamber through said inlet port for directing an air jet upon the turbine wheel.

- 4. In a pneumatic currying apparatus, a portable casing for connection to a suction currying nozzle, the casing having an exhaust chamber provided with an inlet for admitting air from the nozzle and also provided with an outlet opening, the casing also having an operating chamber and a partition between said chambers, a rotatable shaft extending through the partition and into said chambers, a fan on the shaft in the exhaust chamber and rotatable with the shaft to draw air through said inlet, stationary air vanes mounted in the exhaust chamber between the fan and said outlet opening for guiding the air to the outlet opening, the exhaust chamber also having a main discharge port to atmosphere for exhausting air drawn by the fan blades, a turbine wheel mounted on the shaft in the operating chamber, said outlet opening being located in the partition in position to direct an air jet from the exhaust chamber upon the turbine wheel to rotate the wheel and the fan, the fan being adapted to draw a relatively large volume of air at a pressure somewhat below atmosphere while the turbine wheel is operable by a relatively small volume of air undergoing a relatively large change in pressure in passing therethrough, and means for exhausting air from the operating chamber, whereby the pressure in the operating chamber is less than the pressure in the exhaust chamber.

SVEN JOHAN ERLING.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 908,991 Hammer Jan. 5, 1909 Number Number Name Date Foster Feb. 14, 1911 Duflie Mar. 26, 1912 Cornell June 21, 1938 Horton Feb. 3, 1942 Hunt Oct. 12, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Denmark Jan. 10, 1938 

